Page 118 of A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Heirs

“Lady Cartwright, I warned you. If you don’t restrain yourself, I will remove you.” Ashton’s tone brooked no argument.

“Aurelia!” his father said. “What our son has done is nothing short of heroic. He saved his betrothed’s life! And if you do not behave, I will send you back to Lincolnshire.”

Through his murky haze, Victor thought Priscilla uttered something that sounded likeBaa.

“Father, have you seen Juliana?”

Cilla took his hand, giving it a squeeze. “I have, Victor. She wants to come see you, but Burwood is livid about what happened.”

“Mother said it’s been days. How long?” Victor jerked his gaze toward Ashton, who stood to the side, apparently ready to remove Victor’s mother at a moment’s notice.

“Only three. You’ve been in and out of consciousness. You had a fever. No internal damage, but I kept you here to watch for infection. I’ve applied a poultice of honey to the wounds and dressed them.”

“Honey?!” His mother screeched and feigned a swoon, and that time Victor was certain Cilla bleated like a sheep.

Ashton nodded. “That was Dr. Somersby’s idea. The Romani have been using it for years. There are natural properties to the honey that draw out the infection. We’ve had great success with it. And Victor’s fever seems to finally have broken.”

Victor turned toward Cilla, the only woman in the room he could trust. “And you promise Juliana isn’t seriously injured?” He swallowed, his throat tight with emotion. “Does she still want to marry me?”

“More than anything, Victor. But you need to get better first.” She leaned close and whispered in his ear. “For your wedding night.”

He chuckled, the action sending a sharp pain in his side. “Damn it, Cilla. That hurt.”

His mother waved the handkerchief in front of her as if she had been the feverish one. “Victor! Your language.”

“If you will pardon us.” Taking her by the arm, Victor’s father led his wife from the room. “Our son has every reason and right to curse, Aurelia!”

Ashton stepped forward, removed his pocket watch, and lifted Victor’s other hand to take his pulse. “I’m glad your father intervened. I was about ready to do so myself.” Finished, he slipped his watch back in his pocket. “Better. Steady and strong. You had us worried for a while.”

“When can I see Juliana?”

Ashton smiled. A good sign, certainly? “That will depend on the duke. As your sister said, he’s furious you put his sister in such danger.”

“But I didn’t know she was going to be there. I swear. Surely, she’s told him that?”

Ashton patted Victor’s arm. “I suspect he knows you’re innocent and did everything you could to protect her. He’ll come around, I’m sure. Now, rest. If you continue to improve, I’ll see about transporting you back home.”

Cilla kissed him lightly on the cheek and preceded Ashton from the room.

Victor allowed his heavy eyelids to fall shut. He needed his strength so he could go to Juliana, to plead with Burwood, to throw himself on his mercy.

He needed to see her. Not just for reassurance—but because life without her no longer made sense.

CHAPTER 33

Three days after the horrific events at the back ofThe Knave, the League gathered in the parlor of Pendrake Manor.

Reclined on a sofa and propped up with a pillow, Juliana bit her lip, fighting back the lightning flash of pain from the two-inch-long slash in her side every time she moved.

“Ladies, Ladies!” Honoria rarely raised her voice, but the outrage the group expressed became palpable.

Bea pushed up her spectacles. A tiny dot of ink marred the tip of her nose. “Thank you, Honoria. Now, as I was saying, based on the last two editions of the abomination posing as a newspaper, I believe we can narrow down our suspects to Lord Edgerton and Lord Middlebury.”

“Mybrother?” Charlotte asked. “How in the world did you come up with that ludicrous idea? And what about Lydia Whyte? Considering what happened to Mr. Pratt and Juliana, we can’t rule her out.”

Anne, who had been unusually quiet, raised her hand.

Charlotte stared at her, dumfounded. “Who are you, and what have you done with Anne?”

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